Directory-rack.



I. R. DUMON.

DIRECTORY RACK.

`APPmcATloN man APR. 6. 1915.

Patente Dec. 26, mi@

JOSEEH R. DUMONT, 0F KANSS CITY, MISSOURI.

DIRECTORY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

.ripplcaticn filed April 6, 1916. Serial No. 89,310.

To all @ciw/m,- z't 'may concern:

Be it known that l', Josnrn R. DUMONT, a citizen. of the -United States, residing Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directoryitaclrs; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speer lication.

My invention relates to a directory rack, and more particularly to a device of that character for use in hotels or other places Wl'iere the naines of guests or other information must, for the salie of convenience, be arranged in alphabetical or other 'fixed order, and wherein the information contained in the raclr is subject to change at frequent intervals. l'

The present invention is an improvement on lthe structure disclosed in my co-pending application, tiled Januaryl', 19N, and serially numbered 72,440; and has for its principal object to provide an improved rack, wherein information cards of substantial length may be carried Without nndnly extending the dimensions of the rack.

It is also an object of the present invention, to provide improvements in the construction of the rackA frame.

ln accomplishing these objects, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinz- Figure l is a perspective `View of a rack, embodying the improvements noted. Fig. II is a transverse section on the line lll-ll' (Fig. I). Fig. IH is an enlarged vertical section of tivo of the individual traps *in their assembled relation. Fig. IV is an enlarged perspective view of two of the traps` particularly illustrating the mounting of" an information card ,in one of the traps,

the trap being partly broke-n away for better illustration. Fig. V is a detail perspective view of the trap, containin a. card adapted for bearing information o a nature other than that indicated in Fig. lV.

Referring more in detail to the dravvings t--The frame l, as a Whole, comprises the side rails 2-3, which are spaced by the v end plates 4 5, and are preferably of angle construction, each of said rails having one member arranged at the outside of the frame to forni a' side Wall and the othermember at the front of the frame to form a front Wall, to provide an interior housing for the card traps and guides presently described. The end plates {1 -5 are also preferably of angle construction, each having one section extending over the top or bottom of the side rails, and its other section at the front thereof, the front sections being secured to the front wall sections of the side rails by bolts or screws 7 in order to permanently and. securely connect the side rails and hold the same in fixed spaced relation.

Lying along the back faces of the front Wall sections of the frame rails 2 3, and c secured thereto by bolts or screws 8 are` guides 9, preferably comprising channel members, in order that one side of each channel may lie against the inner face of the adjacent side Wall of the frame rail and the other member of the channel lie parallel with the side Wall and servey as a guide said channel members being inset from-the inner edges of the front Walls of the frame, in order to provide a guide space at, thefinr side of said Walls. 1

The frame just described is y preferably.

'nsA

. for the card traps presently described, and

composed entirely of metal inA order to give it proper rigidity and permanency, andto provide smooth guide surfaces alongwhich the card traps may move. f, y

The card traps used with the frame each comprise a sheet of metal or other material that Will give it permanency in forni and shape, and which is bent upon` itself to form the front and backportions 11i-15, maving an intervening space 16 within` which the supporting head of an information card may seat. .Y `Each trap is of slightly greater length than the space between the facin edges of the front Walls of the frame rails and of slightly less length than f he distance between the facing members of the oppositek guides 9, so that in order to position the traps within the frame, they must be inclined as shown in dotted lines Fig. I, and when placed within the frame will assume position at right angles to the frame rails with the ends of the traps lying 'parallel with and closely adjacent the inner members of the guides (Fig. Il).

In order to support the traps in the iframe, I provide the front M ot each trap with 'foru wardly directed ears 1S that are. adapted to rest on the upper edge of the bottom plate 5 of the fraaie, or on the upper edge of die back 15 ot another trap, the said ears being preferably arranged at the outer ends of the front members 14, and provided with outwardly facing slots 19 `for receiving the edges of the adjacent front walls of the frame rails, so that the traps may slide ver tically along the frame and in guided relation thereto.

In order to better expose an information card that is `carried in the trap pocket, I cut away the front M ot' the trap so that the card is exposed, and extend the back l5 above the-ears 1S, this extension of the back being arranged by forming the ears 18 on the upper ends of the arms Q0 that are formed when the body ot the 'liront portion 14 is cut away to widen the exposure space for the contained card. In the upper edge of the back portion 15 of each card trap is a cut out portion 15, forming a recess 'for the thumb of a person wishing to remove a card from theraclc.

As it is desirable that the card traps seat as snugly as possible within the frame, to aroid lost motionand displacement ot' the traps, the ends ot' the traps should lie as closely as possible to the guides. In order to secure this snug arrangement and still allow for tilting the traps in order that they inay be located in the frame, I preferably cut away one of the upper corners ot the back member 15, so that it slants relative to the end line of the trap.

lVith this construction, when the trap is to be placed in or removed vfrom the trame, it may be held at an angle, so that the inclined corner 21 lies flat against the yinner wall of the guide 8 while the trap is lowered to a position at right angles to the longitudinal line ot' the frame. After the trap has assumed its functional position the ends will lie parallel to the guides and hold the trap snugly in position, until it is tipped by a person lifting on the ear 18 at the, end opposite the inclined corner.

In my former application, I located the information cards wholly within the traps and supported them in the bottoms of the pockets, so that all the information on the card was exposed above the cut out front portion ot the traps.

For hotel and other uses, it is sometimes meessary to provide longer and wider cards that would necessitate deeper traps and limit the efficiency of the rack by limiting the number of traps which could be used therein. In order to obviate this disadvantage, I provide for suspending the cards from the traps, so that part of a card in one trap may lie back of a lower trap when the rack is idle, although the information contained on the lower portion of themcard may be readily observable when the trap carrying a card containing thel information desired is lifted in the rack. In order to accomplish this result, I provide the bottom of each of the traps with a slot Q3 and construct the cards 2% of a width that will enable the body portion thereof to project through the trap slot when it is inserted into the trap pocket from above, each card having a head Q5 of greater width than its body portion, to provide the shoulders Q6 that extend laterally beyond the edges of the body of the card so that they may rest on the bottom portions of the trap at the ends of the slot 23. The heads Q5 are of such depth that their top edges will be below the upper edges of the trap when the cards are in place, and will be exposed to the same extent as the cards in my former application. The body portions of the cards areI also exposed, but beneath the trap, so that information contained thereon is obscured, except when the traps are lifted to expose the body portions.

Assuming that the parts are assembled and constructed as described and, for illustration, assuming that the rack is used for hotel purpes; when a guest arrives at the hotel, a clerk enters his name on the head of the information card, together with the number ot the room to which he is assigned, and what other information of a gelieral nature may be desired.

The traps above the position that the card is to occupy are raised by lifting on the ear 18 opposite the incline 1G of the trap next above that position and the trap for bearing the new card is located inthe rack as heretofore described. The card is then positioned in the rack by droppingthe body Q4 through the slotQ, so that the shoulders 2G will hang on the bottom of the trap at the ends of the slot.

From time to time, while the guest is at the hotel, a bookkcepcr, or a clerk, may make `entries on the body of the card, removing the card from the slot for that purpose, andl when the guest leaves, the trap may be takenout ot' the rack and the card removed and transferred to a suitable file.

If the guest leaves aforwarding address, a card bearing the forwarding information is substituted for the guest card, and the trap is either returned to the former rack, or placed in a rack especially assigned for forwarding cards.

While I have described a partciular use of the rack and particular t pes of cards, I do not wish to be understoo as limiting the invention to such particular uses,.or forms, but desire protection of a scope commensurate with the improvement.

iso

Cri

BEST A\/AH.ABLEconV` i Having' thus described my invention, what I clann as new therein, and iles-ire' to Secure by Lettors-lfatont, 152-- 1. .A rail trap comprising means for sus! pending a card and .means for Supporting tho trap. v A rack trap comprisingl a hack momlau'`r means at tho front oi' sani bark or'con` lining a card ami moans for suspending' a iard holow the bottom of thc trap.

3. rack trap comprising spaivd liront and hack portions, and a bottom having a longitudinally oxtimlingr slot thoroin.

4. A rack trap conipruiing' spaigiil -l'iout `an l hack portionsl and a bottoni havingr :L-

longituklinal lalot therein, .tho lronl' o'f tho trap being' ilowni-,ut' 'l'iom its uppm algo` amlliuving.r snippm'ting,r oars at [ho mult: of

(lio sido portions. p

5. Tho combination with a sultalilo l'rauio,

ol'- a trap vomprising' afpovlwlforming'.nu-1n-v lni'. 'auil a oaril havinga houd suppoi'tvitliy tho lpoclwt forming' nunihor and u lioily 0X- (.vuiliug;- liolow ,tho trap.

momma 6. A trap for carri racks 'comprising a pocket formingr momlier havingr a slotted bottom and a cai'il comprising a body portion adapted for proioction through the slot in said bottoni and a houd, having Shoulders ailaptml for support on Said bottom at the owls of the slot. n

7. rack trap Comprising spaclfront anfl buck nufmliors. tho hack mouiller having walls: and a trap :ulaptiul lor trawl back ot" tlul 'l'ront walls aiul luftwcon tho guiilcs, and

ha 'ving slotted oars in guided relation to the turing' oilgos ol said liront wall.

ln testimony lier-uol' l'allix my Signatura. JOSEPH lt. DlflhObl'l.y 

